


Brotherly Bonds

by TomatoLover123



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Feelings, Fluff and Angst, Injury, Italian Mafia, Lies, M/M, Mafia!Romano - Freeform, Male Friendship, Other, Secrets
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-26
Updated: 2015-09-26
Packaged: 2018-04-06 06:03:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4210797
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TomatoLover123/pseuds/TomatoLover123
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Romano, or South Italy, has finally finished some major dealings with the mafia and is finally able to return home to his lover, Spain. However, he has not come back unscathed… though Romano wishes to protect his brothers from the horrors he has faced, have they finally decided that it's gone too far? Wait what, Prussia is involved too? What’s going on here?!<br/>(Based off a Hetalia roleplay)<br/>NOTICE: This story is NOT discontinued, but is simply on a very long hiatus.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfic is heavily centered around one of my head cannons: Romano and Prussia are actually really good friends due to their similarities. Romano trusts Prussia, and Prussia trust Romano. They're basically best friends even though the rest of the nations (excluding a few) have no clue and probably think that they've hardly interacted at all.
> 
> Later chapters will probally consist more of the romantic side of the road (mainly PrussiaxSeborga).
> 
> Warning: Mild romantic contact and lots of cursing. It's Romano. Of course there's gonna be cursing.

He was done. He was finally done. Italia Romano, or Lovino Vargas, as he's been known as the past few months, had finally finished his dealings with the mafia and now all the trouble they had been stirring up had died down. Lovino could finally go home.

He entered the house for the first time in months. It was unusually quiet, only because he had sent his brother to Ludwig’s house before he had left. Although he really hated the idea of Feliciano spending so much time with that potato bastard, it was convenient. He didn’t have to worry because no matter how much he disliked the guy, he knew that Ludwig would watch out for Feliciano. And he had another card up his sleeve.

Lovino had asked Prussia, aka Gilbert, to keep an eye on Feliciano while he was gone. Normally the eldest Italian would be reluctant to ask favors of anyone. Gilbert, however, was the exception. After one really drunken sob fest, the two realized they had a lot in common. Gilbert thought Lovino was pretty cool, and Lovino thought the loud, annoying Prussian wasn’t quite as annoying as he had originally thought. After that they started hanging out and became, well, friends.

Lovino fell back on the couch, wincing at the careless movement. He had momentarily forgotten about his injuries which included a large gash on his shoulder, various cuts and bruises, a couple burns and most urgently the bullet-wound in his side that could do with professional medical attention. After getting over the wash of pain, Lovino pulled out his cell and turned it on. The phone had been off for the majority of his “excursion”, so it wasn’t exactly surprising when not even a second after the screen had flickered to life, it vibrated. A ton of messages and more than a few missed calls (mostly from Antonio) filled the screen.

“Fucking-” he started, but just sighed. “Guess I better go see the _idiota_ …” Getting up off the couch, (not without difficulty I might add), he headed upstairs toward his room. If he was going out, he was at least going to look halfway decent.

A shower, a fresh pair of clothes, and a couple of extra-strong painkillers later, Lovino left the house, locking the door behind him. He could call Feliciano later and tell him to come home, but he needed to go to Antonio’s first.

\-----------------------

“Lovino!” Trapped in a hug the second the Spaniard had registered who was standing at his doorstep, Lovino was already starting to regret not resting more before coming.

“Let go, _idiota_! I can’t breathe!” The now annoyed Italian said, even though his voice lacked his usual edge.

He let go, pulling back and staring at Lovino. “Why didn’t you answer my calls? It’s been months and- _dios mío_ Lovi, you’re so pale! Are you okay??? Do you need to-” Lovino had to put a hand over the Spaniard's mouth to get him to stop talking.

“I’m fine, _España_. And my phone was off.” He made his way past the concerned but happy Spaniard and plopped down on the couch. “Do you have any food? I’m fucking starving.” He said, quickly changing the subject and looking up at Antonio as he approached.

“ _Sí_ , of course!” Antonio flashed a sunny smile at the Italian before heading to the kitchen. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea coming over here after all.

A few minutes later Lovino was chowing down on a simple sandwich consisting of a generous amount of ham, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes. After finishing he muttered a small “ _Grazie_.” and leaned back into the couch. Antonio sat next to him, casually slinging an arm around his shoulders. Lovino unconsciously flinched at the contact, earning himself a concerned look from the one next to him. He would have asked about it, but something else was tugging at his curiosity.

“So Lovi, why was your phone off?” The Spaniard asked, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. Lovino always kept his phone changed and on his person, mainly because of his brothers and boss (Although Romeo only calls once in a blue moon). If there was trouble, he wanted to know about as soon as possible. He couldn’t say the sudden reappearance of the Italian after so many months didn’t bother him. He was acting a little strangely too. He thought that even more so after Lovino replied.

“I wasn’t really in a situation to be contacting anybody.” He mumbled, gradually getting readjusted to the physical contact. That caused a lifted eyebrow until Antonio apparently thought of a reason.

“Oh! Was your boss giving you a hard time? _Lo siento_ Lovi, you must be tired from all the work. Did you finally get a break?” The Italian made a small noise that sounded like a conformation. Antonio smiled and decided to just let his little Italian rest for a bit. He turned on the TV but kept the volume low.

Lovino felt a little bad. He didn’t really lie so much as the Spaniard just made assumptions and Lovino didn’t feel the need to enlighten him about his recent activities, but he was still deceiving him in a way. He really didn’t want to lie to him, so he just let the Spaniard try to figure it out by himself. After all, telling him wouldn’t change anything, it would only worry him.

Nobody really knew about what the eldest Italian had been doing the last few months, but needless to say a few people had a general idea. Ludwig and Kiku for one, because Lovino had actually encouraged his brother to go and hang out with them. That practically screamed “Something’s up” but there wasn’t much the Italian could do about it. Then there was his brother. Ditzy though he might be, when something was seriously wrong with Lovino, he could feel it. The farther apart they were the less he felt it but Lovino had gotten injured a lot lately so there was no doubt that something had gotten across. Lovino also had the sneaking suspicion that Romeo might know something as well, but as for what and how much, he had no idea.

And then there was Gilbert.

The second Lovino, the Lovino, had asked him for a favor he was worried. People may say that the Prussian is loud and obnoxious but that doesn’t mean he can’t feel concern for his friends. And he does consider Lovino a friend, even though other nations probably have no idea. Actually, most nations who don’t know the two well would think they were complete opposites. Frankly, they have no idea.

The Italian was beginning to feel drowsy. Now that he had eaten and he finally was in a place where he actually felt safe, the tension had drained out of him. Seeing that his guard was down, Antonio leaned over and gently kissed his much missed partner. Lovino would have protested but the warmth that spread through him was addicting. Antonio’s hand cupped his cheek as his other arm moved from around Lovino’s shoulders to around his waist. Slowly he pulled back and opened his eyes, his green orbs staring into golden ones.

The moment, however, was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell.

Antonio looked up curiously. “I wonder who that could be?” He wondered aloud.

Beneath him Lovino was practically growling. “Whoever it is, they better have a damn good reason for having such shitty timing…” Now there was an insistent knocking coming from the door. Letting out an aggravated sigh, Lovino gestured in the general direction of the door. “Just go see who it is…”

Antonio looked back down and pouted, pecking Lovino on the lips before heading to the door. “Coming~!” Lovino rose from the couch and followed the other to the door. He stood behind the wall, out of sight from the door, and waited to see what asshole had interrupted the first peaceful and actually pleasant time he had encountered in recent months.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apology in advance: I've never written or read any fics with Seborga (aka Romeo) in them before so if I portray him oddly, then please bear with me. I'll do my best though! Perhaps some research is in order. (I do love the guy though. He's great!)


	2. Lies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Brothers, incoming! The Italian brothers reunite, and who else would be with them but Gilbert! With a slightly oblivious Feliciano and a very mischievous Romeo, Lovino is going to be very tired by the time he gets home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: One of the roleplayers (the one who was the two younger Italians and Lovino's lover) actually drew pictures inspired or based off the roleplay! So far he's drawn 9 pictures :3 and they're all fabulous! Although most of them kinda sorta really hurt my soul. I might include where to find them later if he's okay with that. If I do, please check them out!

He was dead. Oh, he was so dead. He just really, really hoped Lovino was in a good mood. And this wasn’t really his fault, right? He’d just been doing what the Italian had asked. No, it certainly wasn’t his fault that Romeo had shown up at the German’s door and told Feliciano that Lovino was back. Back from where he didn’t say, nor did he say how the hell he knew that when it obviously hadn’t been too long since the eldest Italian’s return. Considering he hadn’t even called Gilbert to relieve him of duty yet, he was sure it hadn’t been long.

But that didn’t change the fact that the second the words reached Feliciano's ears, he and Romeo both dashed out the door leaving a slightly confused Prussian in the dust. It had taken Gilbert a second to figure out what the actual hell just happened. When he did figure it out, he grabbed his keys, slammed the door behind him and while yelling at the two already gone Italians, got in his car. How they got that far in that little time Gilbert would never know but the point was that when he finally caught up to them, the two were already at their destination.

He ran up to them, slightly out of breath. “Hey, wait up! Don’t go running around all willy-nilly! He’s going to be so pissed at m---” The door opened, cutting Gilbert off and showing a tanned man with a sunny smile on his face. Namely, his good friend Antonio.

“ _Ciao_ big brother Spain! It’s good to see you!” Feliciano chirped with a large smile on his face. “Romeo said Lovi is back, is he here? We ran home but he wasn’t there so we figured he would be here and so we ran here as fast as we could!” He spoke rapidly, bouncing up and down in excitement.

Romeo smiled innocently at the Spaniard. “I heard big brother is back~ so I told Feli and we came to see him!” He winked playfully.

Gilbert, who had finally caught his breath, butted in. “Ah, hey Toni, long time no see. Is Lovino in? We were just stopping by and _ja_ …” He gulped as his eyes darted around, searching for said Italian.

Antonio took a moment to register all that was said before smiling even larger. “Oh, it’s been a while! I’m glad you stopped by! _Sí_ , Lovi’s here.” He turned, looking behind him. “Lovi! It’s just your brothers and Gilbert! Come say hello!”

Lovino walked slowly into view, not neglecting to shoot Gilbert an irritated glare to which the Prussian partially hid behind Feliciano. He’d go easy on him if his brother was in the way right? Right? Lovino’s eyes settled on his two brothers before he leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms. “So. Tell me right now why you couldn't just wait at fucking home.” Lovino said with not even a trace of amusement on his face. Gilbert gulped and watched as he hid because _mein gott_ he didn't want to be involved but because it was so not awesome to ditch before the favor was done he was here. That and the fact that the oldest Italian could be scary as fuck, especially when it came to his family.

The second he laid his eyes on him, Feliciano's excitement just grew and grew until he couldn't hold it in any longer. “Lovi, I missed you!” He cried, running forward and tackling his brother with a hug. For whatever reason, Lovino was taken off guard so the hug sent both of them straight to the floor.

“God dammit Feliciano!” He shouted once his breath came back. Gilbert couldn't help but laugh, which earned him another glare from the eldest Italian. “We’re going to talk about this later.” He warned, causing Gilbert to gulp.

Romeo seemed to take that as an invitation and let himself into the house, heading for the kitchen. “It’s hot as balls out there~ You got any cold drinks?” He asked while raiding the fridge.

Meanwhile Feli was still clinging onto his older brother, nuzzling him. Gilbert shut the door behind him and Antonio, after watching the brothers in an amused fashion for a moment, headed to the kitchen. “ _Sí_ , of course! Actually I was about to make some churros~” He said, leaving the three of them to their antics.

“Feliciano, get off me.” Lovino said, his temper simmering down. The younger complied, sitting back on his heels.

“I missed you Lovi!” He said with a large smile.

“I know, _idiota_. You already said that.” Lovino grumbled.

Feliciano took that as an acknowledgement and after giving Lovino one more hug he got up, heading to the kitchen as well. “Ve~ I want some churros~!” He said happily.

The entryway couldn’t be seen from the kitchen, so there was no one there to question the atmosphere between the pair that was left. Gilbert was still a little wary of the Italian that was still sitting on the ground, but offered him a hand anyway. Lovino accepted it and pulled himself back up into a standing position. It was a moment before either of them spoke.

“So… how did it go?” Gilbert asked. He tried not to be too obvious but his eyes were scanning the Italian, searching for injuries. Sure he didn’t know exactly what the Italian had been doing but considering he actually asked Gilbert to keep an eye on Feliciano, it couldn’t have been very safe. The search didn’t actually yield many results considering Lovino was wearing both long sleeves and long pants. That struck him as a little odd. Although it was nice and cool in the house, it was sweltering outside.

Gilbert, however, wasn't what someone would call discrete so Lovino noticed what he was doing. “Hey _idiota_. My face is up here.” Gilbert looked up curiously at the Italian's tone of voice. He continued slowly and carefully. “Look. I won’t say i’m not… you know.” He shot a glance in the direction of the kitchen. “I know you’ll just bother the fucking hell out of me later if I lie.”

“No shit. You’ve got some explaining to do.” Gilbert deadpanned with a serious look on his face, an unusual expression for the Prussian.

Lovino shot him a look but sighed. “Whatever. I’ll explain, but later.” He shot another glance toward the kitchen. “It’d be way too damn troublesome if they overheard us.”

Gilbert nodded. “ _Ja_ , that’s true. Toni would be on my ass if he knew that I knew about where you were and didn’t tell him.” He laughed before looking Lovino in the eyes and lowering the volume of his voice. “He was worried you know. I covered for you but you better come up with something if he starts asking questions.” He paused, thinking for a moment. “Also, I’m taking a look at those injuries later. I seriously doubt you actually treated them properly.” Lovino looked away, verifying his suspicions.

He mumbled under his breath “I’m not that bad...”

Gilbert laughed again. “ _Ja_ , you’re not but only when it’s on someone else. Remember last time*?”

Lovino’s head snapped up as he hissed “We agreed never to talk about that again!”

He put his hands up in mock surrender. “ _Ja_ , _ja_ , I know. Don’t get your panties in a bunch.” He said laughing again as Lovino fumed.

The two proceeded to the living room where Romeo had made himself comfortable on the couch. Feliciano was over helping Antonio in the kitchen while Romeo was watching TV with an open beer in his hand. Noticing their presence, he looked up at the two. “Nice of you guys to join us.” His lips curled into a smirk. “What were you two conversing about?” He said in his thick Italian accent as his eyes traveled from the feet of the two up to their eyes.

Lovino looked away. “None of your business.” He replied.

“Tch. So harsh, _fratello_.” Romeo said with a swig of his beer.

Gilbert butted in again in an attempt to be the peacemaker. “I was just saying how lame it was that Lovi didn’t tell ze awesome me that he was back!” Gilbert plopped on the couch by Romeo and continued with casual conversation. “Anything good on?” He asked.

“Maybe. I’m just surfing.” Romeo replied as he continued to change the channel. Lovino sat down on the other side of the Prussian, out of his brother’s view. He really didn't need Romeo’s suggestive stares right now.

As he was flipping through the channels, he landed on a news channel. [“ _Lately, in the country of Italy, there have been sightings the infamous Italian mafia. Civilians have reported having seen infighting, and it appears as though there have been a series of mafia wars as of late._ ”] The picture on the screen cut to a helicopter view of one of the gunfights, slowly zooming into the faces. Romeo quickly flipped the channel to Animal Planet.

On the screen it showed lions battling for dominance as the narrator described the scene. Romeo stood up and looked down at them with a smile. “I’m going to check on those churros~” He said, making his way to the kitchen.

Gilbert and Lovino sat there in silence.

Gilbert cleared his throat. “Those lions are awesome, _ja_?” He said with a nervous smile on his face. Lovino made a sort of sound and continued staring at the TV. Gilbert thought to himself ‘ _Well that explains why he took so long..._ ’ The Prussian didn’t dare say anything out loud. Like they had agreed earlier, that was a conversation for later. One that would probably involve medical supplies, an empty house, alcohol, and a cheesy comedy and/or good soap opera.

As they were lost in their own thoughts, they didn't notice the figure sneaking up behind them. Suddenly a churro was stuffed into Lovino’s mouth, causing him to almost choke from surprise. “Gotcha!” Romeo yelled, appearing in front of them. His hands were covered in cinnamon and sugar. He smirked mischievously and took a bite of the other churro he had in his hand. Gilbert looked over and almost started cracking up. If it weren't for the murderous look on Lovino’s face that is.

He managed to swallow the churro and get his breath back before yelling “DAMN IT ROMEO!” Romeo grinned and ran up the stairs. Lovino jumped up from the couch, wincing a little. The painkillers were starting to wear off. Grabbing the back of the Prussian’s shirt he headed toward the stairs. “Come on, you’re helping me!”

“What?” Gilbert said before he was dragged up the stairs after Romeo.

“Ve~ He’s really energetic! I want to join in on this game~” Feliciano said, entering the living room and looking in the direction they ran off in. Antonio walked over next to him, holding a plate of churros in his hands.

“Wow, and I thought Lovi was tired!” The Spaniard said, also looking in the direction of the stairs. “I hope they don’t make too much of a mess. He still has a few churros.” Antonio and Feliciano simply stood there, waiting to see what kind of mischief Romeo would cause next.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *The “last time” Gilbert had been referring to was back when the two had first started hanging out. They decided to hang out at Lovino’s place because of their mutual annoyance at their brother’s obvious but oblivious flirting. Lovino had been making food and was startled when he heard the sudden roar of thunder. When he spun around he accidentally knocked over the hot pot of water, successfully spilling the whole pot on his lower back. When he flipped out from the sudden pain, he slipped on the water that had landed on the floor and fell face first, the pot falling straight on the burn. Said pot, of course, was also scalding hot, making him flip out even more. Gilbert had been out at the time, so he didn’t hear the string of curses coming from the kitchen.
> 
> Lovino went ahead and ran some cold water on it but the burns were pretty bad, 2nd or 3rd degree. He couldn’t treat it properly either because it was in a spot he couldn’t reach easily. When he heard Gilbert come in, he put on a shirt and pretended he was fine because he was embarrassed about being so clumsy. That was Feliciano’s department damn it! Anyway, about halfway through the night Gilbert got fed up with watching Lovino pretend when something was obviously wrong and forced him to tell him. When Lovino finally gave in, Gilbert got a little mad because the Italian had thought that he would have laughed at the incident. Gilbert treated the burn while lecturing him about how if he got hurt and needed help, he would gladly lend a hand. Or rather he said it would be “so not awesome” to laugh at someone when they were seriously hurt. The upside was that after the incident, the two began to grow closer and started to trust one another. 
> 
> So basically Gil was referring to how the injuries that were in troublesome spots probably weren't treated properly because there’s no way Lovino would have told anyone he was hurt.


	3. Intentions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Romeo's continues his antics, but what are his true intentions? His words have a hidden meaning- and it isn't one that Lovino is happy about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So because I think it would kind of take away from the feeling of the story (and because translations are a pain) I took a shortcut. When the Italian's words are in italics despite being in English, that means they are speaking Italian. So the bickering between Lovino and Romeo is mostly in Italian, resulting in a once again very confused Prussian. (In this fic Gilbert can't understand Italian for the most part but I'm not sure if that's canon or not :/ )

The eldest Italian dragged Gilbert up the stairs with him as he chased after Romeo. If it wasn't for his cackling (“Romeo cackles?” “Shut up _idiota_ , keep running.”) they could have very well lost him in the maze that was Antonio’s house.

Just as they turned the corner, Romeo dashed into a random room and locked it behind him. “ _Come and catch me, if you can that is!_ ” From outside the room Lovino could hear the sound of the window opening. “We haven’t played in a while, _fratello_.”

Lovino stopped dead outside the room. He had heard something else in his brother’s playful tone, and it kind of pissed him off.

Gilbert finally caught up to him, once again out of breath. He’d have to have a talk with Antonio about the ridiculous layout of this house later. “Lovi, what the hell!” He said in response to the Italian’s abrupt stop. The Italian didn't reply, so Gilbert chanced a look at his face. What he saw made him take a step back. “Uh, L-Lovino?” He questioned nervously, his tiredness forgotten.

Lovino made quick work of the door. ' _When and where the hell did he learn how to do that?'_   The Prussian wondered in his mind.

The eldest Italian stepped into the room, looking up to where Romeo waited. “Rooooomeeeeeoooooooo!” His voice slowly got louder as he approached.

“ _Nice of you to finally join me._ ” He said, switching between Italian and English. “What nice weather, don’t you think? A little too hot for long sleeves and pants if I do say so myself.” The look he gave Lovino suggested a hidden meaning in his words. He took another bite out of a churro as he looked at the two in front of him. With a certain glint in his eyes he said “It’s been awhile since we've played tag!” Romeo apparently thought that meant it was a good time to jump of the window. (Just fyi, they’re on the third floor.)

Before either of them could react, Romeo caught hold of a tree branch and swung himself up onto it, shooting a sincere but playful smile at his brother. “ _Hurry up slowpoke!_ ”

“Oi, _bastardo_!” The Italian dashed over to the window. “ _Get back here!_ ” Now that Lovino had also switched to Italian, Gilbert lost all track of the conversation. He didn’t speak Italian and even if he did, he probably wouldn't be able to keep up with the speed and volume of this particular conversation. Besides, even when they’re speaking a language he does understand, they don’t always make sense. These Italian’s had a flow of their own and despite his awesomeness, he can’t always keep up.

While Gilbert was confused in the background, Lovino and Romeo kept bantering. “ _What? Too much of an old man to hunt me down?_ ” Romeo taunted, finishing off his churro. He dropped downward, hanging from the tree by his legs.

As Gilbert watched he thought to himself _'This scene seems awfully familiar…'_

Romeo’s head was barely in range of the window, just out of Lovino’s reach. Lovino glared at him and Romeo winked, blowing him a kiss. Glancing past him, Romeo’s eyes landed on Gilbert and he smirked. “ _Hey._ ” He looked back at his brother, lifting his eyebrows suggestively. “ _Your friend is kinda hot. Is he taken?_ ”

Lovino looked dumbfounded and Gilbert just looked back and forth between the two. “Lovino? What did he-”

“ _Don’t even think about it! Gilbert is off limits!_ ” Lovino practically yelled. At the mention of his name, Gilbert knew they were talking about him. But once again, he didn't speak Italian. He was even more lost when Romeo winked at him.

While Gilbert was distracted, Romeo swung back and forth till he got enough momentum to reach Lovino. In that moment he took Lovino’s face in his hands and pressed a kiss on his forehead, leaving the Italian slightly stunned and surprised. Before he swung back, Romeo whispered just quiet enough that Gilbert wouldn't hear. “ _You shouldn't push your injuries._ ” He then swung back and flipped off the branch, landing on the ground with a thump. He took a moment to recover from the drop and then dashed to the front of the house.

Romeo re-entered the house through the front door. Feliciano looked up at his presence, slightly confused as he looked from the stairs to Romeo. Then his confused look turned to a pout. “It’s not nice of you to make Lovi angry like that.”

“It’s his own fault.” Romeo replied with a hint of annoyance in his voice. Picking up his beer and finishing it off, he continued. “He’s practically an open book and he acts like we don’t know anything.”

Antonio glanced at the two from the kitchen where he was cleaning up the mess from making churros. He was curious as to what Romeo was referring too, but it looked like a brotherly thing so he kept out of it. The Spaniard decided to take out the trash as an excuse to give the brothers some space.

Feliciano looked slightly taken aback before putting on a nervous smile. “An open book…? What do you mean? Ve…” Feliciano’s voice got quiet as he said “He’s been acting weird and so have you…” Romeo blew his bangs out of his eyes in a sort of bored manner. “Hey, listen to me when I’m talking.” Feliciano was starting to get a little frustrated at his younger brother's continued attitude. 

Romeo turned and looked at his brother with a serious expression adorning his features. “How about you put yourself the shoes of someone who isn’t an official country?” he said with no light amount of malice in his voice. Feliciano froze, shocked. Romeo sighed and shook his head, getting back on topic. “I know you’re not as dense as you act Feli. I know you see that something is wrong.” He waited for Feliciano to register the meaning of his words before continuing. “We can’t keep pretending. If we do, someone is going to get seriously hurt.”

Feliciano was quiet, until he finally decided to voice what they had kept quiet about. “But isn’t Lovi already hurt?” Romeo sighed. “I mean, he’s a country. He can heal fast so he’ll be okay, like always. He always makes it out okay.” It almost seemed as if Feliciano was reassuring himself rather than Romeo.

Romeo paused a moment, attempting to figure out how to voice his suspicions. “I know but I mean seriously bad, as in…” He trailed off, looking down and playing with the hem of his shirt.

“What? Bad, as in what?” Feliciano pestered.

Romeo slowly and quietly replied in Italian. Feliciano barely caught what he said. “ _Only two, not three brothers._ ” Looking up, Romeo said a little louder. “ _Take care of each other. You two always worry me._ ” The youngest Italian walked toward the door. He turned back. “Also, get me that albino’s number!” Romeo said with a grin before exiting the house, leaving Feliciano alone with his own thoughts.

\-------------------------------

Upstairs, Lovino stood quietly at the window. Romeo had run off only a few minutes prior and Gilbert was still a little confused. “What the hell was that about?” He asked aloud. When Lovino didn’t respond, he began to get a little worried. The Prussian slowly approached him and moved to look at his face. “Lovi?” He said with concern in his voice.

That’s when he noticed how pale Lovino looked. Even more pale than before. “Lovino? What’s wrong?” Lovino was silent for a moment before leaning on Gilbert. Actually it was less of leaning and more like using him for support.

“Shit.” He muttered with his eyes shut. “I forgot.”

“Forgot what?” Gilbert asked, holding the other upright.

“That I was injured.” Gilbert looked confused, still not getting what he was trying to say. “I think I might have reopened them.”

Gilbert’s eyes widened. “Wait, you serious?” He narrowed his eyes as he looked down at the Italian. “How do you forget something like that?”

Now that the anger had drained out of him, he could clearly feel the pain. Lovino pushed himself away from the Prussian and headed toward the door. “I took painkillers. Strong ones.” (Read: The kind that aren't exactly legal) “They’re wearing off though.” Unfortunately, Lovino’s assumption about his injuries was correct. He didn't make it out the door. Instead, he collapsed down onto one knee.

“Lovino?!” Gilbert raced to his side as Lovino hissed through his teeth in pain. It was clear that he couldn't stay much longer without making things worse. If Antonio saw him like this, it would defeat the whole purpose of him coming over in the first place.

“G-Gilbert… I need your help…” He managed to say. It wasn't a time to be stubborn, and he knew that full well. Gilbert nodded. “I need to leave… to get home… before Antonio notices…” The Prussian looked down at Lovino, and noticed that he was clutching his side. Upon closer examination, he could see the blood seeping what he realized was one of Lovino’s larger injuries.

The pain was worse, much worse than normal, Lovino realized. If it continued at this rate, there was no doubt the ones he was connected to would feel it. They would find out what he had tried so hard to hide. Just like Gilbert was about to.

“ _Ja_.” He said in understanding. But before helping him up, Gilbert spoke in a serious tone. “Lovino.” The Italian looked up at him. “How long ago did you get these injuries?” Silence. That told him all he needed to know.

“We can talk about this later, damn it.” Lovino said, getting his edge back. The pain was starting to subside so he was able to stand up with the help of Gilbert.

“But we are going to talk about it, right?” He said with a victorious grin. Lovino looked away and grumbled under his breath.

\--------------------

Lovino washed the blood off his hands in a nearby bathroom, at Gilbert’s suggestion. “Wear this.” He said, holding out his jacket.

Lovino looked up, somewhat confused. “What? Why?” He asked and Gilbert sighed.

“Leaving without saying anything will make Toni suspicious. And although I think it’s totally unawesome to lie to your friends, I understand why it’s necessary. This time.” Lovino still looked a little lost. “Your side is covered in blood.” He deadpanned.

Lovino looked down and was quiet for a moment before taking the jacket. “I guess you have a point. For once.” He tried to put it on but he couldn't move well without being in pain. Gilbert almost laughed as Lovino cursed in pain and annoyance.

“What would you do without the awesome me around?” He said jokingly, taking the jacket and helping him put it on.

“I would get a lot less headaches, that’s what.” Lovino retorted. Gilbert chuckled and the two headed toward the stairs. Gilbert stood close to Lovino to help keep him upright and Lovino hid his pain with a scowl. Together they descended the steps and began their act.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact 1: In the original roleplay, Lovino is with 2p!England, not Spain. (It's a long story) Instead of churros, Artie made cookies!
> 
> Fun Fact 2: The room Romeo ran into in the original roleplay was actually Artie's room. The tree outside has an interesting story behind it... but that's a story for another day.


	4. Injuries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One of Lovino's larger wounds has reopened so he needs to leave, and fast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been so long. I actually had this chapter finished a few days ago but I got sidetracked and forgot to post it. -_-' Oops. Any who, here it is! Chapter 4.

Feliciano was simply standing there, tears running down his face. It hurt, and now he thought he was starting to see what Romeo meant. It hurt too much. After Romeo left, Feliciano started thinking. As he was thinking, that’s when the pain struck him. An awful pain, and he knew it was because of Lovino.

The sound of footsteps startled him out of his thoughts. Feliciano quickly wiped the tears away and attempted to put on a brave face. “Ve, there you two are! Romeo left a little while ago.” A little smile graced his features. “He’s become such a brat. Where did we go wrong?” He said jokingly.

“Hell if I know.” Lovino replied.

“Oiiii, Lovi, what were you two talking about?” Gilbert asked with genuine curiosity.

“None of your damn business.”

Gilbert pouted for a moment before replying “It is my business, I heard my name! And he winked at me! You two weren’t badmouthing me were you, cuz that would be so not awesome.”

“No, it was- it was nothing. He was just being a _marmocchio civettuola_.”

Feliciano giggled. “ _Sí_ , he is!” That only served to confuse the Prussian further.

“A what?” Gilbert asked.

“Never mind.” Lovino replied with a sigh. It was then that Antonio decided to re enter the room.  

“Are you three done with your chasing games?” He asked with a smile. Walking over to them he said with a pout “You two barely even ate the churros.”

“I’ll take some!” Gilbert announced loudly, drawing any attention on Lovino to him. Lovino watched Antonio and Feliciano carefully. While the Spaniard looked completely oblivious and was now engaged in a conversation with Gilbert, Feliciano didn’t exactly seem like his cheery self. He was standing back quietly and making no attempt to enter the conversation.

Lovino walked over to his younger brother and talked quiet enough so the other two couldn’t hear. “Hey, did that brat say something to you?” 

Feliciano looked over to his elder brother and couldn’t help but notice that he was wearing Gilbert’s jacket. He decided not to mention it and simply responded. “Oh, you know Romeo. Just drinking, talking about books and shoes, and asking for Gil’s number.” He looked up, trailing off. “Him being mysterious, making me worried… We really need to look after him more or else he’s going to get into a lot of trouble.”

“Don’t give him Gil’s number.” Feliciano laughed at that and looked back into Lovino’s eyes.

With a smile he said “Well I should get going. Ludwig’s probably wondering why I ran off without saying anything.” He stepped in for a hug but stopped short when he saw the jacket again. Gilbert was watching out of the corner of his eye as Feliciano pulled back and smiled. “ _Ciao_ Lovino, I gotta dash!” With a wave, the second-oldest Italian dashed out the door.

He kept going until he was a safe distance from the house. Holding onto his aching side, he thought “Oh _fratello_ …”

\----------------------

“Oi, Lovi?” Gilbert said for the second time.

“Hm?” The Italian finally acknowledged him. “What?” He asked, clearly distracted. And Gilbert was pretty sure it wasn’t due to the pain.

“We might want to… you know.” He said with a discrete gesture toward the door.

Antonio looked back and forth between the two. “Is something wrong? Those two were acting a little strangely.”

“No, they’re fine.” Lovino replied. “They’re just a little… off because we haven’t seen each other in a while.” He tried to piece together a more concrete reason. “It’s just that we’re all kind of stressed out because of work. It’ll be fine once we all have a break.”

Antonio made a face, one like he was debating something in his head. “You haven’t been doing work… together then?” Lovino blinked, realizing what he just said and what it could give away.  

“Yeah, is that a problem?” He replied with a lot less bite than he’d intended. Gilbert chose that moment to butt into the conversation.

“The awesome me will call West later and make sure Ita-cakes made it back alright.” His nickname for Feliciano earned him a glare from Lovino, but aside from that it didn’t look like Antonio was going to push the issue.

Antonio furrowed his brows, getting a vibe from the two of them. “Lovino… are you going back home now?” He asked. Lovino nodded quietly. A gentle expression overtook Antonio’s features as he spoke. “That’s a good idea. You still look pretty pale, so you should go get some rest.” He looked to Gilbert with an expression that Gilbert couldn’t quite place. “You’re going with him, right?”

Gilbert looked a little surprised. With a grin and a scratch on the back of the neck he said “Yeah. I was planning on giving him a ride back.” Quickly, he added “Toni’s right Lovi, I think we should go. I bet you’re suffering from lack of sleep, right?”

He saw what he was getting at and nodded. “You caught me. I’m tired as all shit.”

Antonio laughed then looked back at Lovino. “Go get some rest, and come back soon.” There was a hint of disappointment in his voice and Lovino noticed it. He knew they needed to leave, and soon. The pain was getting worse again. There was just one more thing…

Lovino walked up to Antonio, making a point to ignore Gilbert’s presence. Leaning up he kissed him, long and sweet. As they parted, the surprised and slightly embarrassed look from Antonio was extremely satisfying to the Italian. “That was a teaser. It’ll have to hold you over till I get back, and then we can do more... fun things.” He said with a sly and suggestive smirk.

Antonio blushed at the insinuation but smiled all the same. “In that case, I’ll be waiting.”

Gilbert stood in the background with a slight blush on his face. It quickly turned into an amused look as he watched the scene unfold. He never got to see Lovino acting so sly and frankly, it was entertaining. But at the same time he wondered how the holy hell Lovino could act like that without giving himself away.

Antonio brushed Lovino’s bangs out of his face as he hummed. “I missed you.”

Lovino replied in turn, and for once he wasn’t being stubborn about it. “I missed you too.”

“AHEM.” Gilbert cleared his throat, finally deciding it was time for them to stop ignoring his awesome presence. The two turned to look at him so he took that as his cue to speak. “I hate to butt into your guy’s moment but we really should get going.” He shot Lovino a look, causing the Italian to sigh.

With a nod, he took a step back. What he didn’t expect was the wave of dizziness that hit him. Gilbert (thankfully) noticed before Antonio and casually strode over, slinging an arm around Lovino’s shoulders. It served as the support Lovino needed to stand up straight. Looking to Antonio, Gilbert said a quick thank you for the awesome churros and an even quicker goodbye. He lead Lovino to the door, Antonio on their heels.

Lovino regained his sense of balance and pushed Gilbert’s arm off his shoulders (much to Antonio’s relief) and put on his shoes. “See you soon.” He said as Gilbert grabbed Lovino’s jacket (“Hey Lovi, why’d you bring a jacket anyway?”   “Why did you?”   “...touche.”). With a wave they headed out the door, leaving Antonio to his thoughts.

After Gilbert picked up Lovi’s jacket Antonio finally realized that Lovino was wearing Gilbert’s jacket. Also, the two had seemed oddly close. The fact that Lovino hadn’t protested when Gilbert slung his arm around the Italian’s shoulders was proof of that. There were a lot of things about their visit that seemed odd but at least now he knew that he could see Lovino again soon.

That didn’t change the fact that Antonio was slightly peeved at how close Lovino and Gilbert seemed to be all of a sudden though.

\----------------------------

They made it as far as an empty alley before Lovino collapsed.

“Lovi?!” Gilbert cried. “Hang on, I’m getting the car. We’ll be back at your place before you know it.” It being dark out, they didn’t need to worry about random passerbys but that didn’t really help the situation much.

The Prussian hurried to the car and drove up to the entrance of the alley. He opened to the door to the back seat and proceeded to gently lift the Italian into the vehicle. Silently thanking Lugwig for stashing a medical kit in the his car, Gilbert quickly began to give Lovino first aid. It was only a temporary solution. He needed to get Lovino home so he could treat the wounds properly.

Gilbert drove at speeds not quite legal (he had learned that little trick from the Italian in the backseat) until the house was finally in sight. It had been an over all silent ride, what with Lovino being unconscious and all.

He pulled into the driveway and got out of the car. He was about to get Lovino but stopped. Unlocking the door might be a better first choice. Gilbert found the spare key and unlocked the door. He left it open as he went to retrieve the unconscious Italian. Opening the car door, he took one look at his friend and knew they were in trouble; Lovino was panting and his face was the as pale as it could get.

With only one thought on his mind, GIlbert carried Lovino into the house and up the stairs. “Come on Lovi, hang in there a little longer…”

He entered Lovino’s room, setting him on the bed and hurrying to retrieve medical supplies. Making quick work of the jacket and his shirt, Gilbert stopped dead at the sight before him.

It was worse than he could have ever guessed, with the way Lovino had still been able to walk around like nothing was wrong. Voicing his thoughts, he asked his unconscious friend “How were you even able to stand up…?” Lovino’s grunt of pain snapped him back into focus and the Prussian set to work.

After he had gotten the bleeding to stop and Lovino’s more pressing wounds had been treated, the Italian had fallen into a semi-peaceful slumber.

Gilbert, on the other hand, had not.

He had been concerned before. Now, now he couldn’t even begin to describe how worried he was. It was so much worse than he had thought it would be and he was having trouble taking in what lay before him. The sheer amount of injuries was one thing. The severity was another. Add to that the fact that Lovino walked around and was able to act like nothing was wrong- how someone could be hurt like that and still be able to walk around, he didn’t know.

Thinking back, he remembered Lovino mentioning painkillers. Gilbert quickly searched through the bathroom cabinets and found what he was looking for. Taking a look at the label he muttered “Lovino wasn’t kidding when he said they were strong.” In fact, Gilbert was pretty sure that these painkillers weren’t legal outside of hospitals. Once again he had to question the when, where, and how Lovino had gotten them.

He took a pill from the bottle and set it by the bed with a glass of water. The Italian was definitely going to need it when he woke up.

Gilbert looked down at his friend once more. He had heard rumors about South Italy’s relation with the mafia, but that was all he had heard. Lovino himself never mentioned it, so Gilbert didn’t know what kind of relationship he had with them.  
However he did know was that when Lovino woke up, he would ask him about what had occurred in the previous few months. And this time Gilbert wasn’t going to take “None of your business” for an answer.

 _marmocchio civettuola_ \- flirtatious brat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So about those pictures mentioned in last chapter's notes, if you want to take a look search #poinnersart on Instagram. The pictures are on three different accounts so yeah. Thanks!
> 
> P.S. Look forward to Romeo's appearance next chapter!


	5. Interlude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos to Poinner for the art!

_Romano- no, Lovino, that’s what he was going by at the moment- stumbled into his home. It was only to grab a few things, and then he’d be gone. It was early in the game, but this was his last chance to get what he needed before he was in too deep. He couldn’t let them find this place. Even though no one was staying there at that moment, just finding it would give everything away. His effort to keep_ them _uninvolved would go to waste._

_A grumbling stomach broke through the silence. As much as he was in a hurry to leave, Lovino wasn’t one to turn down the prospect of food. Marching to the kitchen he quickly began to search through the little they had stocked at the time. He reached to open another cupboard but stopped short when something on the table caught his eye. A quick battle took place in his mind, with curiosity winning out. In a few short strides, he found himself staring down at the flat paperlike object on the table. With an unusually delicate hand he picked it up. A very small smile graced the usually frowning lips, but no one else was around to see the sadness clearly showing through it._

\-------------

A pair of golden-hazel eyes slowly opened, and in a sudden bout of alertness their owner almost jumped out of the bed- that is, until he realized that he was in his room. A wave of confusion hit, until he recalled the previous days events.

“Oh yeah…” Relaxing again, Lovino sighed. Then he took notice of the tight feeling in his chest. The dream re-entered his mind just as Gilbert re-entered the room.

“Lovi?” The Prussian quietly strode over to his side. Looking down at him, his tone shifted to one of concern. “Lovino? What’s wrong?”

Lovino stayed quiet as he covered his face with the back of his hand. With a small sigh and a strange edge to his voice, he said only one thing: “...I guess some things never change.”


End file.
